Just a quick post to say I am devastated by this. I followed sweepyface even though I don't get on Twitter as much as I'd like, but she was sweet (unlike 99.9% of the Pro's), another needless death caused by the McCanns and co. RIP Brenda, your contributions will never be forgotten xxx

Hundreds of people react on Facebook and Twitter after learning about the death of Brenda Leyland, the woman accused of sending abusive message to Kate and Gerry McCann

The death of ‘Twitter troll’ Brenda Leyland has caused a huge reaction from members of the public and sparked a passionate debate about social media and the press.The 63-year-old, from Burton Overy, who was accused of sending abusive messages to the parents of Madeleine McCann, Kate and Gerry, was found dead at the Marriott Hotel, in Smith Way, Enderby, on Saturday.Folling the news, hundreds of people have taken to social media to make comments about her death, the abusive messages to the McCanns and the way the media has handled the situation.Her son Ben Leyland, who lives in LA, was one of the first to post a message and expressed his grief through Facebook, saying: “I love you mum and miss you forever”.

His friends and family offered messages of condolence via social media, and hundreds more have taken to the Internet to express their views on the news.Keith Osbourne was one of those paying his respects to the Leicestershire mother.He posted: “Such sad news RIP BRENDA u dint deserve death. Wunt be same not seing u in Leicester.”John Cawley also expressed his sorrow at the news.“Sad,” he wrote. “We have to admit that social media is a drug just like real drugs and alcohol.“Don't judge this lady, judge the world we live in. God bless her. RIP.”Tanveer N Anisha Mohinudeen wrote: “Omg so sad to hear. Going back to college days n remembering Brenda she wasn't like that but I guess pple chnge but still sad tho.”Other people have not been as sympathetic, and have continued to condemn the way she had attacked the McCanns.Daniella Ella wrote: “No disrespect to her family but she was giving out something she couldn't take!“Bullying should not be tolerated in any form and should always be exposed!!”Lucy Willgress posted: “I'm sorry, but anyone who attacks other people online behind a facade (without knowing the full story) is not a nice person.She added: “I'm sorry for this woman's family but she did what she did...obviously couldn't face the music for her own actions.”Responding to the post, Sheetal N Krupesh wrote: “She couldn't face the music? Are u serious?“Yes she may have said a few things that maybe were taken out of term!!“But she did not deserve to be hunted down, stalked or harassed to the point she had to take her life!”Many have also blamed the press for the death of Brenda Leyland.Sky News reporter Martin Brunt, who filmed her outside her home and questioned her about the hateful messages, has been receiving abuse from people on Twitter.Sarah Thomas (@ArsenalSarah) tweeted: “Abhorrent hounding of a Woman who's mental strength was obviously unimportant to you.“Shame on @Skynews @skymartinbrunt RIP #BrendaLeyland.”Others have also expressed concerns about how the media has gone about the story.Commenting on the story on Facebook, Abdul Khaled wrote: “These newspapers are selfish and have no regards to people's welfare all they are interested in is chatting and spreading rubbish.”Erica Justice Williams wrote: “Rupert Murdoch's henchman should hang their heads in shame!”

I've been reading back over the last two days. I'm utterly horrified. Does anyone else feel like we have been flung into an alternate reality?

From the Leicester Mercury article, we are expected to feel sympathy for Martin Brunt:

Sky News reporter Martin Brunt, who filmed her outside her home and questioned her about the hateful messages, has been receiving abuse from people on Twitter.Sarah Thomas (@ArsenalSarah) tweeted: “Abhorrent hounding of a Woman who's mental strength was obviously unimportant to you.“Shame on @Skynews @skymartinbrunt RIP #BrendaLeyland.”

If that is the worst abuse they can find, he's got out of it pretty lightly IMO.

And yet it is still acceptable to call Brenda Leyland a troll and repeat the accusation that she had been sending abusive messages.

I wonder if Lucy Willgress sees the irony in her post:

I'm sorry, but anyone who attacks other people online behind a facade (without knowing the full story) is not a nice person.

On radio 2 Jeremy Vine now. Gamble on, has expressed condolences, says a lot to come out next few weeks, but something needs doing re trolling. Vine is now discussing the multiple meanings of trolling..... interesting.

Gamble accepts right to be offensive under free speech, and is commenting on mob mentality of menace and threats. Some of things so abhorrent he won't repeat some tweets on radio.

NOW I HOPE VINE ASKS WAS BRENDA LEYLAND ONE WHO POSTED SUCH THINGS AND IF NOT, WHY SINGLED OUT BY MEDIA.... NOT LEFT TO POLICE.

Vine now speaking to a reporter with Leicester Mercury newspaper. [ BTW I read on twitter that it was this local paper which id's her and where she lived.. not sure if this is true].

Vine is now asking about BL's online behaviour and they are speaking about Brunt's doorstepping.

Tracked down is a phrase being used.... hope they ask how she was tracked.

Reporter can't comment on any other of the tweets apart from the one quoted in the press as her TL deleted. She should be able to read what has been saved and captured and published on twitter last night.

The coroner will get her TWITTER TL no doubt.

Vine now quoting some tweets.... one very nasty one saying that the Mcs can live in France, ppl will go on hating them for rest of their evil conniving lives.

Anon caller who knew BL says she was not a well woman and media should have taken and should now take care for her family's sake.

Vine fair, saying that media need to take care not to tip a person over the edge.

legal q.... what constitutes a tort?

Last edited by Russian Doll on Mon 06 Oct 2014, 12:23 pm; edited 1 time in total

Brenda Leyland, if she was indeed the source of the “online campaign of vitriol” against Gerry and Kate McCann, should not have acted as she did but equally, Sky News should not have outed her so publicly last week. With revelations that Mrs Leyland has been found dead at the Leicester Marriott Hotel, the resulting consequences are very clear.

Given that Mrs Leyland had neither been arrested nor charged with any offence by the police, Sky News’ handling of the allegations that they made was undoubtedly inappropriate. Repeated all day on their channel as a “main news item”, this minor one minute conversation morphed into a more significant piece of news than it truly was and led to such vitriolic media mouthpieces as the Mirror’s Carole Malone writing:

“[Brenda Leyland’s] a cowardly bully who hides behind her smart front door and spews her bile in secret because she doesn’t have the guts to do it in public”.

“This piece of work… wasn’t quite so brave… when news cameras approached her. She looked like a frightened rabbit (typical). But as she was running away (also typical) she said she thought she was entitled to do what she’d done”.

Undoubtedly it was having to see and read such that led to Mrs Leyland fleeing her home and committing suicide. She may or may not have sent Mr and Mrs McCann inappropriate messages, but the allegations reported as “fact” had not been proven. These allegations had come from Twitter users who support the McCanns rather than the police and just as they have the right to support the couple, those who have differing views about what happened to poor Madeleine McCann – within the realms of the law – have the right to share their opinions too.

Sky News, Martin Brunt and the likes of Carole Malone have blood on their hands: That is what should be playing on the “Breaking News” ticker.

There are a couple of disgraceful comments in response to this article.

Just finished listening to Jeremy Vine. Had Gamble on, the less said the better. But Vine himself was I felt very neutral on the matter, and sound dubious about the 'troll' accusations to me. He discussed with somebody whether people are calling a difference of opinion 'trolling' these days, and made it clear several times that he hadn't seen any of Brenda's tweets except for the one from Sky. For once, I found Jeremy Vine to be fair.

This of course is the other big question that someone has posted on twitter. How come on the other tweets published the usernames were blacked out and no real names given either. What legal reasons??? Someone needs to be answering these questions.

I called the Jeremy Vine show today at 12.13 and asked to speak to JV.The male who answered was very nice.I said Brenda had been hounded to death by Brunt and the MSM because like many others she refused to believe the McCann lies.I said JV should be asking the McC,s why she left two of her children when she thought an abductor had taken another child;why she refused to answer police questions;why the McC,s dismissed the dogs findings and why the tapas group had felt the need to write a timeline rather than search for the missing child.I said there were many more questions that needed answered.The chap asked me my name, where I was phoning from(London) and took my number but didn,t call back.

Sorry I also said at the start that what Brenda had said about the McC,s suffering was no worse than KM saying she wanted Dr.Amaral to feel fear.

Last edited by travis macbickle on Mon 06 Oct 2014, 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

travis macbickle wrote:I called the Jeremy Vine show today at 12.13 and asked to speak to JV.The male who answered was very nice.I said Brenda had been hounded to death by Brunt and the MSM because like many others she refused to believe the McCann lies.I said JV should be asking the McC,s why she left two of her children when she thought an abductor had taken another child;why she refused to answer police questions;why the McC,s dismissed the dogs findings and why the tapas group had felt the need to write a timeline rather than search for the missing child.I said there were many more questions that needed answered.The chap asked me my name, where I was phoning from(London) and took my number but didn,t call back.

Sorry I also said at the start that what Brenda had said about the McC,s suffering was no worse than KM saying she wanted Dr.Amaral to feel fear.

Good on you for trying. You probably had too many valid points which they were afraid to address and that's why they didn't call call you back.

Very fair report from Channel 4 on the authors of the "dossier". Wouldn't be surprised if they start an investigation of their own.

Yes, thanks here it is...........

Monday 06 October 2014

McCann internet 'troll-hunting' site deleted after death

After the death of a woman who targeted the McCann family with online abuse, Channel 4 News finds a website that has assembled 27 dossiers on people it claims post "McCann hate".

Brenda Leyland, 63, from Burton Overy, Leicestershire, was said to be a "troll" who had targeted the McCanns with abusive messages on Twitter, and was found dead in a hotel on Saturday.

This was after a Sky News reporter confronted her outside her home last week. It is thought that Sky News may have used a dossier gathered by supporters of the McCanns to help them identify and find Leyland.Channel 4 News has established that supporters of the McCann family have assembled at least 27 dossiers on both anonymous "trolls" and on those who are perceived to be "anti-McCann".

There is no indication at all of the McCanns being involved in or endorsing this activity themselves.

Gerry McCann last week told the BBC: "Clearly something needs to be done about the abuse on the internet. I'm glad to say that there have been a number of people where police have taken action."

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the 80-page dossier that catalogues the "hate campaign" against the McCann family, which includes threats against their children.

[*]

Troll-hunter site

The dossiers found by Channel 4 News have been created over a period of a number of years about online internet trolls who have targeted the McCanns.They are hosted on a Wikipedia-style site called "Mccann Hate Exposed". It was removed from the web sometime in the past week.

Channel 4 News has seen archived copies of some page on the site that catalogue online abuse against the McCann family made by Twitter users.The site seeks to track usernames and identities across the web, noting what usernames each person is using on sites including YouTube and web forums, and it includes details about their life in the real world.

The information in the dossiers names and unmasks some of the people who criticise or attack the McCanns.

The owners of the site have yet to respond to attempts made to contact them.

'Sweepyface'

A dossier about Leyland's account "Sweepyface" was hosted on the Wiki site, but i i's unclear if this is the same dossier that was handed to the police or the same information that was used by Sky News.

When Leyland was confronted by the Sky News reporter, it was put to her that she had posted messages attacking the family. She replied: "I'm entitled to do that."

The tweets levelled serious criticisms of the McCanns' behaviour following the disappearance of their daughter, as well as abuse directed at the couple.One tweet allegedly posted by @Sweepyface, believed to be Leyland's Twitter account name, said the McCanns had "never had it so good".Sky News issued a statement that says: "We were saddened to hear of the death of Brenda Leyland. It would be inappropriate to speculate or comment further at this time."A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said: "Ms Leyland's death is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the Coroner.

McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: "Kate and Gerry will not be saying anything. It is entirely a matter for the police."